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NEWS RELEASE

For Immediate Release: July 2, 2010

Contact: Diane Kahn, Com Net, 419-739-3100, dkahn@cniteam.com

Com Net, Inc. is awardedbroadband stimulus grant

WAPAKONETA, Ohio

— July 2, 2010 — Com Net, Inc. announced today that they have beenawarded $30 million in federal stimulus funding for their GigE Plus project. The project willadd almost 700 new miles of fiber to its high capacity network in order to expand existing broadband services through the GigE Plus Availability Coalition (GigEPAC) partners to ruraland underserved communities in 28 Western Ohio Counties.Com Net, in partnership with OARnet, Zayo Bandwidth and 33 last mile service providers, cametogether for the federal stimulus application to fulfill the vision for the GigE Plus project. The project proposes to:

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Provide Connectivity for as many as 880 community anchor institutions to itshigh capacity fiber network including K-12, state and local government, publicsafety, libraries and community support organization facilities

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Spur affordable broadband access for local consumers and businesses by enablinglocal service providers to connect to the GigE Plus project’s open network

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Encourage investment in economically distressed counties served by the project,20 of which have unemployment rates higher than the state averageThe benefits and reach of the GigEPAC high capacity fiber network can be extended throughoutthe State of Ohio thanks to the coordination efforts of the State of Ohio and GigEPAC partner,OARnet. Com Net, along with other Ohio Middle Mile Consortium (OMMC) partners HorizonTelcom, OneCommunity and OARnet, formed a public-private partnership to create acomprehensive statewide plan to expand broadband infrastructure to the underserved andunserved areas of the state.In March 2010, Com Net and the other OMMC partners submitted applications to the NationalTelecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) for the Broadband TechnologyOpportunities Program (BTOP) to develop a Comprehensive Community Infrastructure (CCI).BTOP funding was established as part of the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act(ARRA), better known as the federal stimulus package.

ARRA grants awarded — 2

Com Net’s CEO Tim Berelsman stated, “Com Net was founded in the early 90s by 22 of Ohio’srural independent operating companies to provide collectively what could not be accomplishedindividually. Com Net pooled its assets with those of its owner–partners to deliver advancedservices to the rural communities that they served.“Our history of cooperation and open communications allowed us to quickly identify with thevision of the OMMC and to understand the benefit for not only Northwest Ohio, but all of Ohio, by bringing our existing partners with us in collaborating with Zayo Bandwidth, OARnet,Horizon and OneCommunity in the spirit of the ARRA BTOP application process,” Berelsmansaid.“This is a great day for Ohio. Comprehensive broadband services for the state are vital toenhancing education, retraining our displaced workforce and preparing our future workforce todrive Ohio economic development,” said Ohio Board of Regents Chancellor Eric D. Fingerhut,who had called on the Ohio Academic Resources Network (OARnet), the technology operationsarm of the University System of Ohio, to coordinate a unified approach for federal stimulus broadband applications.“This infrastructure will support new initiatives for reaching Ohioans and promoting theretention and creation of jobs in economically distressed areas of the state,” said Pankaj Shah,executive director, OARnet.All of the OMMC proposals use an open access model. Any provider will be able to access thefiber at reasonable rates and terms. For more information on Com Net’s GigE Plus projectcoverage in Western Ohio and on the overall Ohio Middle Mile Consortium partners’ coverage,visitwww.ohiomiddlemile.org.

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